A scene from the slide at Avalanche Pass in the High Peaks Wilderness (Provided photos — NYSDEC)

AVALANCHE PASS — Multiple rock and mud slides that occurred on Monday, July 14 in and around Avalanche Pass have closed a popular High Peaks Wilderness hiking route until further notice. There were no reported injuries or deaths, although a video posted to the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Instagram page appears to show extensive trail damage.

The Avalanche Pass trail is considered one of the more popular routes in the High Peaks Wilderness, connecting the Adirondak Loj trailhead to the north with Lake Colden and the Upper Works Trailhead to the south. There are numerous trails to High Peaks that can be accessed off the route, and the scenery around Avalanche Lake — including steep cliffs that jut directly up from the lake’s shores in spots — makes it a popular destination on its own.

A DEC spokesperson said forest rangers were making their way to the scene Monday evening to further assess the situation, noting that the absence of any injury reports meant rangers didn’t need to rush to it with as much urgency as a rescue call, but that rangers were expected to assess the situation by the day’s end.

Routes impacted by the closure include passage to Lake Colden area from the Adirondak Loj, as well as loop routes over Algonquin Peak, Mount Colden and Mount Marcy that involve going through Avalanche Pass. None of those mountains or lakes were rendered completely inaccessible by the mudslides, with alternate routes to each available. Although some might be less direct, adding extra mileage to the route.

A preliminary map posted by the DEC showed that the slide occurred about 0.3 miles north of Avalanche Lake, with the agency noting that there was another slide on the southeast side of Mount Colden; which impacted the trail between Feldspar Brook and Lake Arnold. The DEC noted that trail damage there was less extensive than the Avalanche Pass trail and stated on Tuesday, July 15 that the Feldspar/Lake Arnold trail was not closed. Hiking it, however, would require a “short” bushwhack detour around the debris and the DEC added that hikers should take extreme caution when navigating around it, and be prepared for conditions on that route that are “extremely wet and muddy.”

A scene from the slide at Avalanche Pass in the High Peaks Wilderness (Provided photos — NYSDEC)

For updates on trail conditions from the DEC, visit tinyurl.com/29hh7hvu.

A scene from the slide at Avalanche Pass in the High Peaks Wilderness (Provided photos — NYSDEC)